Overhead system for spray painting



C. E. MARTINDALE OVERHEAD SYSTEM FOR SPRAY PAINTING April 3o, 1 957 3`Sheets--Sheaetl 1.

Filed Feb. 26. 1954' l INVENTcn Ohm-zes EM&ffmda/e ATTORNEYS ALE Aprill30, 1957 ci E. MAR-HND OVERHEAD SYSTEM EoR SPRAY PAINTING Filed Feb',26, 19,54

5 Sheets-Sheet 2 AT-rgnNEvs.

April 30, 1 957 c. E. MARTINDALE v 2,790,579

OVERHEAD SYSTEM FOR SPRAY PAINTING Filed Fb. 26, 1954 s sheets-sheet sINVENTOR Chaz-legit @rfi/:dale

BY wah/@WM ATTORNEYS ovEnrmAD SYSTEM FoRSPRAY -PAINr-ING ACharles iE.Martindale, lil/oodlami, Calif. Appncaaen rebiafy 2'6, 1954, serial No.y112,735

s claims. (ci. 299-86) This invention relates to spray-paintingequipment or systems for cars or other portable devices which needpainting and which can be removably Yplaced in a spray booth; thepresent application being aA continuation-.in-part of my now abandonedapplication, 'Serial No. 332,489, tiled January 2l, 1953.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a painting systemwhich includes an overhead 'swingable boom from which the supply ofpaint and the spray hoses are supported, and which boom is arranged sothat, with a relatively short hose unit, a car may be completely spraypainted in an ehcient manner'and with a minimum of physical effort andtime on the part of the operator.

An objectionable feature of previous spray-painting equipment, namely, alongstretch of hoor-supported hose which must be dragged around andwhich tends to become entangled with the ywheels of the car or otherobject, is, therefore, eliminated. j

Another object of the invention is to mount the paint containing pot onthe swinging boom in removable association therewith, and so that saidpot, when so mount ed, is connected to a source of compressed air aswell as to the hose unit which carriesv the spray gun. In this manner,the need of a paint cup attached directly 'to the gun, and whose Weightis carried by the operator,

with resultant `fatigue and possible loss of control, is avoided. o

Also, a much larger supply of paint may thus be carried without havingto. stop and refill the pot and without any added weight being placed onthe operator, so that a complete spray-painting job may be performedwithout any stops being necessary for paint-supply replenishlng.

It has been found that heated paint provides an easier, faster,l andmore trouble-free means of spray application than was had with coldpaint.

A further object of the invention, therefore, is to provide a paint potwhich is arranged to be heated and which is so thoroughly insulated thatonce heated, it will retain its heat for a suiicient time to enable acomplete spray-painting operation to be carried out without reheating ofthe paint being necessary and so that no hot surface is exposed withinthe spray booth.

Such heating is accomplished by electrical means, and since it would bedangerous--because of possible sparks and the volatile nature of thepaint fumes-to thus heat the pot within the necessarily vclosed spraybooth, it is another object of the invention to provide means forsupplying heat to the paint pot from a point outside the spray boothwhile providing means on the pot for both detachably connecting the potto a Source of heat and subsequently to the boom in supported relationtherewith.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a spray-paintingsystem which is practical, reliable, and durable, and one which isexceedingly effective for the purpose tor which it is designed.

These objects are accomplished by means of such structure and relativearrangement of parts as will fuily api nited States Patent i vk..

Vce

2 pear Vby a perusal of the following specification and claims.`

VIn the drawings: y

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the improved equipment of the system, asmounted in a spray booth and in loperation.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged end elevation of "the paintplot and itsboom-mounting connection, taken substantially on line 2.--2 of Fig. 1. Y

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged vertical se'cti''nof'the boom and itspivot mounting structure. l

Fig. 4 is a side kelevation 'of 'the paint pot dtalied partly in sectionand with the coverremv'ed.

Fig. 5 is 'a side elevation "of the 4pair'lt pot civerland `partsconnected thereto; the cover being detached from the 'pot and partlyinsection. n Y

Fig. 6 is an elevation, partly Vin section, Loffthe fixed switch 'andconnector unit for the 'paint'pouby means of 'which electric heat issupplied 'to the paint pot; the latter being 'shown as connected tos'aid unit.

Referring 'now more `particularly to the characters Y'of reference o'nthe drawings, the conventional spray booth 1, in which a car 2 to b@Spray-painted is'dispo'sed, i`ncludes 'a ceiling 3 supported by joists2l.

The improved spray-painting system or equipment, which is mounted insuch booth, i's constructed Vas follvvs:

`Mounted centrally ofthe ceiling on adjacent joists dois a rigidhorizontal framel 5 which supports, byjstiita'bly braced clampingcollars 6, Va 'depending 'sleeve 7 which extends a very short 'distanceonly below the lceiling.

Turnably projecting through thefsleeve `is a tubular spindle Shaving acap 9 resting on the upper'endoi the sleeve 7.

yThe spindle 8 depends 'below the 'sleeve some distance, and projecting'from and rigid with the depending 'portion of the spindle is a boom,'indicated -generally at10. This boom includes a pair of verticallyspaced, generally -parallel tubular arms lll 'preferably disposed with aslight downward slope and connected at their outer end by a verticalsleeve 12.

The total length of this portion 'of the bom lis somewhat less than halfthe width of the spray booth which is customarily longer than it iswide.

The boom also includes a relatively short extension 13 which include aspindle 1'4 turnable in the sleeve 412, a lower horizontal arm 15projecting from the lower end of thel spindle, and a vertical sleevey1&5, open at its lower end, upstanding from the outer end of arm A15.

The spindle 8 is arranged for Vunrestricted rotation in sleeve 7, butthe spindle 14 may only turn 90 degrees from an alined position oftheextension 13 with the main boom arms 11; a rotation-limiting'pin and`notch unit 1'7 being provided on the spindle 14 and sleeve 12 for thispurpose.

The paint pot, indicated generally at 18, and which is ofspecialconstruction as hereinafter described, includes a rigid upwardlyprojecting stem 19 on one side and which removably projects into sleeve16 from its lower end so that the ypot is held in an upstandin'gjposition beyond the extension 13, as shown in Fig. 1.

To removably retain 'the sternin place, said stem 4is formed with a lug2? intermediate its ends, non-turnably fitting in a hood 21 formedlaterally with "and extending upwardly from the lower -end of the sleever16. The lug is engaged from below by 1a ielea'sa'ble holding arm 2.2pivoted in the `hood and projecting below the saine for manipulationtseeFig. 2). I n r The paint pot 18 comprises an outer shell Z3towhich thestem 19 is connected, van inner'paint'receiving receptacle '241s'r'iaced `from the's'hell 23,'ard Yan intermediate Patented Apr. 3o,1957 p 3 shell 25 spaced (except at the top) from shell 23 andreceptacle 24.

At their upper end, the vshells converge to the rim of the receptacleand are clamped together by the depending rim flange 26 of thereceptacle, as shown in Fi 4.

gThe space between the shells 23 and 25 is lled with heat insulatingmaterial 27, while a suitably insulated thermostat-controlled electricheating element, indicated diagrammatically at 28, is disposed in thespace between shell 25 and receptacle 24.

The lead Wires 29 extend from element 28 through the stem 19 to theupper end thereof, connecting to terminals 30 exposed at the upper endof the stem for engagement with cooperating contacts of a currentsupplying unit, as will hereinafter be described.

The pot 18 includes a heat-insulated cover 31 removably seated on rimflange 26 and held in place with a pressure tight fit by suitablescrew-clamp units 32 mounted on flange 26.

Secured on the cover and communicating with the interior thereof is adouble-ended fitting 33, and another fitting 34 on the cover connects toa depending tube 35 of a length such as to depend nearly to the bottomof receptacle 24. The titting 33 includes a pressureregulating valveunit therein.

A exible hose 36 is releasably coupled, as at 37, to one end of thefitting 33 and extends thence through an opening 38 in the upper boomarm 11 and along said arm and into the tubular spindle 8 to connectionwith a swivel fitting 39 mounted in the cap 9, as shown in Fig. 3.

Another hose or pipe 40, leading from a source of air pressure, isconnected to the fitting above the cap.

Another length of hose 41 is connected to the other endof tting 33 andextends to a hand-operated spray gun 42 of conventional form.

Another similar length of hose 43 extends from fitting 34 to the gun;the hoses 41 and 43 being only long enough that the gun may bemanipulated over a comparatively small area of the car without anymovement of the boom.

Mounted on a wall of the shop outside but adjacent the booth, as shownin Fig.` l, is a bracket 44 on which a vertical sleeve 45 is mounted;this sleeve being open on its lower end and the same diameter as sleeve16 so that the stem 19 of the paint pot may be projected into saidsleeve 45.

The lug of said stem is then engaged by a holding lever 46 arranged thesame as lever 22. When the stem 19 is so mounted, the terminals 30thereon engage a pair of spring-pressed contacts 47 mounted in the upperportion of the sleeve 45, as shown in Fig. 6.

These contacts are connected to the wires 48 of an extension cord 49which extend to a junction box 50, or the like. Since the contacts andterminals, when engaged, are completely and deeply enclosed, there is nochance of any sparks being exposed to the outside of the sleeve as thecontacts and terminals are engaged or separated.

In operation, the paint supply in receptacle 24 is first heated byinserting stem 19 into sleeve 45 until the paint has `attained thedesired heat, the cover remain-v ing on the pot; the hose 36 beingdisconnected at tting 33. The pot is then mounted on the boom extension,and upon connecting the air hose 36 to tting 33 and turning on the airpressure in said hose, the spray painting operation may be started andcontinued to completion of the job without any stops for paintreplenishing being necessary since receptacle 24 is of ample size tohold enough paint for any one car and, as previously stated, the potconstruction is such that the paint va'll retain its heat for theduration of such complete painting operation.

The articulated boom enables the paint pot to be shifted both lengthwiseand laterallyof the car as the painting progresses; the extension 13turning about the sleeve 12 as may be necessary by reason of therelatively narrow width of the spray booth or because of thedesirability of maintaining the pot as nearly overhead to the area beingpainted as is practicable since the hoses 41 and 43 are purposely notoverly long. The extension can thus be turned about the sleeve 12, orthe whole boom may be turned about thc sleeve 9, by merely pulling onthe hose one way or the other.

The boom is thus long enough to reach from end to end of the longestcar, yet may be adjusted to enable the relatively close-together sidesof the car to be conveniently painted.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that there hasbeen produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of theinvention, as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferredconstruction of the device, still in practice such deviations from suchdetail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit ofthe invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, the following is claimed as new anduseful, and upon which Letters Patent are desired:

l. A spray painting system for a spray booth comprising an elongatedsubstantially horizontal boom, means pivotally supporting the boom atone end from the ceiling of the booth for rotation about a verticalaxis, a paint supply pot supported from the outer end of the boom andhaving a hose gun unit connected thereto, and means to supply compressedair to the pot; the boom including a main portion and an extension, andmeans pivoting the extension on said main portion of the boom forrotation about a vertical axis, the pot being mounted on the outer endof the extension.

2. A spray painting system for a spray booth comprising an elongatedsubstantially horizontal boom, means pivotally supporting the boom atone end from the ceiling of the booth for rotation about a verticalaxis, a paint supply pot having a hose and spray gun unit connectedthereto, means to supply compressed air to the pot, and means removablymounting the pot on the outer end of the boom; the pot mounting meanscomprising a sleeve on the boom at its outer end, a stem rigid with andpro jecting from the pot and extending into the sleeve, and releasablelatch means between the sleeve and stern.

3. A spray painting system for a spray booth comprising an elongatedsubstantially horizontal boom, means pivotally supporting the boom atone end from the ceiling of the booth for rotation about a verticalaxis, a paint supply pot having a hose and spray gun unit connectedthereto, a compressed air supply conduit detachably connected to thepot, and means removably mounting the pot on the outer end ofthe boom;the pot mounting means comprisinga vertical sleeve on the boom at theouter end thereof and open at its lower end, a vertical stem on one sideof the pot and rigidly connected at its lower end thereto, the stemsliding into the stem from the lower end thereof, a lug on the stemintermediate its ends, a lateral hood on and open lo the sleeve intowhich the lug slidably and non-turnably projects, and a catch armmounted in the hood and arranged to releasably engage under the lug insupporting relation.

4. A spray painting system for a spray booth comprising an elongatedsubstantially horizontal boom, means pivotally supporting the boom atone end from the ceiling of the booth for rotation about a verticalaxis, said means including a xed sleeve and a tubular spindle turnablein and depending from the sleeve, the boom being rigid with anprojecting from the spindle below the sleeve and including a tubular armcomunicating with the in terior of the spindle; a paint supply pressurepot supported from the outer end of the boom, and means to supplycompressed air to the pot and including an air 5 supply conduit, meansswivelly connected to the conduit at one end to the upper end of thespindle, and an air hose connected to the pot and projecting into thearm adjacent its outer end and extending along and within the arrn andspindle to a connection with the swivel connection.

5. A structure as in claim 4, with means detachably mounting the pot onthe boom, and a detachable connection between the air hose and pot.

6. In an overhead spray-painting system the combination with a boomhaving a sleeve at its outer end, a paint pot having an electric heatingelement incorporated therewith, and a stem on one side of the potadapted to enter and to be detachably supported from the sleeve; ofmeans to supply electric heat to the element and including anothersleeve tixed separate from the boom sleeve and adapted to receive thestem, electrical terminals on the outer end of the stem connected to theelement, and electrical contacts arranged for connection to a source ofelectric power mounted in said other sleeve to engage the terminals whenthe stem is disposed Within said other sleeve.

7. In combination, a paint supply pot including a paint receivingreceptacle, an outer shell, an electric heating element between theshell and receptacle, a stem projecting from and rigid with the shell,and electrical terminals exposed on the outer end of the stem andconnected to the element; a iXed sleeve into which the stem slidablyprojects, releasable means retaining the stem in a predeterminedposition within the sleeve, and electrical contracts arranged forconnection to a source of electric power mounted in the sleeve andengaging the terminals when the stem is in said position in the sleeve.

8. A spray painting system, for a spray booth, comprising an elongatedsubstantially horizontal boom, means pivotally supporting the boom atone end from the ceiling of the both for rotation about a vertical axis,the boom including a main portion and an extension, means pivoting theextension on said main portion for rotation about a Vertical axis, and apressure painting apparatus including painting hose and spray gun unitdepending and supported from the outer end of the extension.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,924,428 Wilson Aug. 29, 1933 2,123,604 Johnson July 12, 1938 2,677,835Kamborian May 11, 1954

